054: Unconventional Paths with Lucas Henderson

As the head coach for the Bryant & Stratton Bobcats, the first-team goalkeeping coach for the Milwaukee Torrent, and the Director of Goalkeeping for Lakeshore United FC, Lucas Henderson juggles a lot of soccer responsibility and manages plenty of keepers across a wide spectrum of ages and skill levels. In today’s episode, he explains and evaluates a number of non-traditional paths in goalkeeping and coaching, including those that led to his own success.

After a stop-start career between the sticks, finding success at the high school and semi-pro levels – but not in club or college – Lucas followed a similarly unconventional path in coaching. He describes the opportunities that he found, as well as those that he created, and the most important principles that influenced his development on the field and now on the sidelines.

As the head coach – and ultimately, the creator – of the Bryant & Stratton College women’s soccer program, Lucas is also familiar with building a roster in an expedited and unorthodox way. He talks about the stresses of a year spent building a team from scratch, and some of the unusual places he found talent for that roster. He also discusses the advantages of junior college soccer – especially for goalkeepers, who often struggle to find playing time as freshmen and sophomores at larger universities.

And if that’s not enough, there’s even an Outtakes segment (below) with more information about Lucas’ playing and coaching journey, and about this season’s Bobcats.

Special thanks to Lucas Henderson for joining me!